on the broadcast tonight, sideswiped. what's in store for those in the path of the weekend hurricane earl? tough job. the unemployment rate is up, but number of jobs lost down. what does this all say about our economy right now? lost for words. arizona's governor talks about what she calls a debate brain freeze. ana big misstatement. and the kids are all right. we know that because their parents, the president and first lady, are talking more about what their kids are like and what it's like growing up there. plus, what's this about men not asking for directions? plus, what's this about men not asking for directions? "nightly news" begins now. captions paid for by nbc-universal television good evening. last night at this time it was the biggest storm on the planet, but in a fortunate and welcome turn of events, the hurricane

named earl, once a raging and grinding category four, is tonight barely a category one. it took its time but now it's making all the right turns. and a lot of people owe a huge debt of thanks to the air that came rushing across the country to shred the storm and to push the storm out to the east on the friday before labor day weekend. while, sadly, parts of new york -- you see it there -- and new england are still in for a storm, it is nothing close to what it almost was. we want to begin our coverage tonight where the storm is. peter alexander in montauk at the tip of new york's long island. peter, good evening. >> reporter: brian, good evening to you. there are more battering waves hitting this coast tonight, but be clear. there is also great relief here that this storm has largely stayed out at sea. still, by the end of today, 13 states will have felt the impact of earl. like an unwelcome guest

overnight along north carolina's outer banks, hurricane earl crashed the start of the labor day weekend. al roker witnessed its arrival. >> right now, we're getting the worst of these feeder bands and i've got -- oh, my gosh. the winds are really whipping. >> reporter: punishing winds and rain pounded the coast. the weather channel's jim cantore was in cape hatteras. >> as you can see, we are still taking it on the chin. this water is compliments of pamlico sound and it continues to push up with these strong northerly winds. >> reporter: dawn revealed roads that looked like rivers and a beach full of tires that were submerged for decades as an artificial reef. but because earl's strongest winds never reached shore, damage was remarkably limited. with no reports of major injury and only scattered power outages. by midday, earl had weakened to a category one storm, but remained dangerous. on the jersey shore, a 20-year-old man is presumed dead after he disappeared while

swimming thursday night. those powerful waves are still hammering away at long island, new york. >> obviously the surf has come up a lot. there is definitely a riptide out there. we're starting to see a lot of beach erosion. >> reporter: but they are perfect conditions for the fearless. how have the waves been? >> they have been fantastic. really fantastic. can't complain. >> reporter: good memories of earl? >> definitely. definitely. he's a good friend. >> reporter: now awaiting its turn, cape cod. >> everybody's frantic. everybody's got to get the medicine. they've got to get batteries. they wiped us out of just about everything. >> reporter: still, ben ferrucci, vacationing with his two daughters, has faith this holiday will be spared. >> talked to the locals. they haven't got hit in 20 years around here. something about the cape. maybe we're lucky. when it gets close it likes to drift out to sea. hopefully it's not going to be any different this year. >> reporter: earl is also already causing problems for weekend travelers, brian. amtrak suspended train service between new york and boston

until tomorrow morning. >> all right, peter alexander on the tip of long island at montauk. it's still going to get sporty tonight. we watched veteran hurricane specialist brian norcross until the wee small hours last night on the weather channel. he's back at it for us tonight. so, brian, a few things. some heartbreaking beach erosion in the east from the carolinas to maine, the canadian maritimes. fast-moving storm. it will be 1,000 miles into canada by this time tomorrow night. what do we owe for the nice timely shredding of this big storm? >> well, it was a combination of things, brian. first of all, the storm went through a cycle which they do. it was a weakening cycle when it came to cape hatteras and the jet stream you talk about came in and affected it. there's where the hurricane force sustained winds were. only about 60 miles off of cape hatteras last night. these were the hurricane-force gusts. we got the 82, 83-mile-an-hour

gusts on the cape. it did what it was supposed to do and we were just lucky. this is going to be one of those "could have been worse" situations. here we go into mid evening tonight. there you see tropical storm-force winds on cape cod there, the very tip of long island and the hurricane-force winds stay offshore. then late tonight and into early tomorrow, the end of the cape gets clipped and so does nantucket. there's still going to be problems there. even in the metro boston area, they have a flash flood watch for the boston providence corridor from fringe effects. by morning it's done. the weekend looks good, but we still have to get through this evening. >> all right. brian norcross at the weather channel. thanks for these many days of covering this storm. it's all about labor day weekend now. half a world away, we want to show you another violent force of nature that has taken place just today. our daytime, while most people were sleeping, a magnitude 7.4 earthquake hit new zealand.

just west of the city of christchurch, the second largest population center in new zealand. in christchurch, we spoke via skype to geologist mark quigley and his partner, candice eagen. >> it was 4:00-something in the morning. the bed was rattling, moving back and forth a bit. my partner said to me, is that an earthquake and i said, yes. it's definitely an earthquake. >> i woke up to the wardrobe -- the mirrors on the wardrobe just shaking. kind of loud noise. quite scared. >> we went into the house and noticed broken pipes. the yard started to flood. we had sand volcanos erupting out onto the ground. we began to drive around and walk around the suburb and noticed big fractures in the roads. there are reports of some damage in the city center. the power lines have sort of tilted intact and are now sort of lying on their side.

we just got an aftershock now. we're just feeling another aftershock right at the moment. we just felt one. they're still coming in. >> there were many of those aftershocks reported, including the one right there as we spoke with mark quigley from christchurch. sand volcanos, how about that? official says there have been arrests for looting. this is still a developing story on the other side of the world. turning to the u.s. economy and the latest reading on the job market for august. employers cut 54,000 workers from their payrolls, less than what analysts had predicted. the unemployment rate ticked up a notch -- 9.6% now -- as discouraged workers restarted their job search. it's a mixed picture here, but it's giving some encouragement to those who are out there looking, some who are hanging onto their jobs and their businesses by a thread. nbc's kristen welker reports from california.

>> reporter: bob crowe doesn't need to look at the economic numbers to know his business is in a slump. >> i never thought i would be in this kind of situation, especially at my age. >> reporter: at 73, crowe is planning for the worst, possibly closing shop. his family business flag crafters has been making signs for some of the biggest names in southern california for more than 30 years. but for the past year and a half, crowe has been cutting. his staff is now halved. the remaining 19 employees are working for less money and no benefits. and crowe has used up most of his retirement savings trying to stay afloat. >> we reached the point where we really can't cut employees and still be viable. >> reporter: but today's job report offers crowe some hope that things might get better. 67,000 jobs were added to the private sector. >> we are still seeing modest job growth. i think that goes a long way to

alleviating a lot of the growing concern about the possibility of the economy double dipping. >> reporter: however you interpret the latest economic figures, it's still a tough situation for workers here at flag crafters and at small businesses throughout the country. but despite the cut hours and decreased salaries, these employees say they're lucky they still have jobs. long lines formed quickly at this week's denver job fair. robert and cynthia tayon, who worked in the printing business, joined the ranks of the unemployed last month. >> if i do have to change my career. >> reporter: they didn't get lucky this day, but they plan to keep looking. for bob crowe, this business is his life's work and the employees, his family. >> these guys aren't giving up. i'm not giving up. >> reporter: signs of uncertain times with a long road ahead. kristen welker, nbc news, chula vista, california. on wall street today, the

better than expected jobs report helped push stocks higher for the fourth straight day. the dow was up almost 128 points, finishing the week up 3%. in the gulf of mexico tonight, bp has uninstalled the infamous blowout preventer, that massive piece of equipment thought to have played a key role in the explosion of the "deepwater horizon" oil rig. it's being brought to the surface so investigators can examine it. a new one will be placed on the now plugged wellhead. also, bp raised some eyebrows today and made a lot of people angry all over again. as the new york times reported, the company warns it may not be able to pay all damage claims if congress passes new laws that would bar bp from new offshore drilling. well, it's the video that is burning up the internet and it's at the expense of a public official. anyone who's ever had to speak in public might be able to

identify with what you are about to see. for arizona's incumbent governor, the loss of words during a televised debate with her election rivals has now become something of a political nightmare. our report from nbc's kelly o'donnell. >> reporter: the big freeze in arizona. >> thank you all for watching us tonight. >> reporter: the debate blunder wednesday night that's going viral. >> a lot of people have been saying that it was painful to watch. >> reporter: cringing over republican governor jan brewer's awkward silence. >> we have done everything that we could possibly do. >> reporter: then -- nothing. brewer went blank. [ laughs softly brrks ] >> we have -- um -- did what was right for arizona. >> reporter: agonizing seconds ticked by until brewer regained composure. her political recovery is just getting started. >> i think it's kind of funny, you know. embarrassing, but funny.

i'm only human. i'm only human. >> reporter: in april, brewer rocketed into national headlines when she signed arizona's anti-illegal immigration law. accused of stoking fear in her campaign, brewer has claimed victims found beheaded in the desert are linked to illegal immigration. she was challenged by democratic opponent terry goddard. >> i call upon you today to say that there are no beheadings. that was a false statement, and it needs to be cleared up right now. >> reporter: that led to another odd moment after the debate. >> what about the headless bodies? >> can you answer the question, governor? please answer the question. >> reporter: she refused to answer. >> come on, governor. >> okay. thank you all. >> come on! [ groaning ] >> reporter: later, brewer acknowledged those killings were reported on the mexican side of the border. >> i'm not saying it was a mistake. i'm saying i apologize if people believed i had said that. >> reporter: she had no loss for words, scolding the president over border security. >> washington is broken, mr. president.

do your jo secure our borders. >> reporter: brewer actually has the president to thank for her job. when he picked governor janet napolitano to run homeland security, brewer who was secretary of state, moved up to governor automatically. brewer has had a 20-point lead. many believe she is still the likely winner. >> i would imagine we'll never again see her in front of a live camera, particularly with other candidates between now and the election. >> reporter: sure enough, brewer announced she will not debate again. kelly o'donnell, nbc news, washington. when "nightly news" continues on this friday evening, no tv on school nights. no facebook, no cell phones. the rules of the house at the white house. and later, the tattered remnants of a dark day helping people around the country stitch together a brighter future. people around the country stitch together a brighter future. if you have high cholesterol, high blood pressure or diabetes, you may also have very high triglycerides -- too much fat in the blood.

it's a serious medical condition. lovaza, along with diet, effectively lowers very high triglycerides in adults but has not been shown to prevent heart attacks or strokes. lovaza starts with omega-3 fish oil that's then purified and concentrated. it's the only omega-3 medication that's fda-approved. you can't get it at a health food store. lovaza isn't right for everyone. tell your doctor if you're allergic to fish, have other medical conditions and about any medications you're taking, especially those that may increase risk of bleeding. blood tests are needed before and during treatment. in some, ldl or bad cholesterol may increase. possible side effects include burping, infection, flu-like symptoms, upset stomach, and change in sense of taste. ask your doctor about lovaza, the prescription that starts in the sea. ask your doctor about lovaza, vo:well, you could new enever do this before.? >> hello? vo: or this. or this.

and you definitely couldn't do this. >> play kate's mix. vo: or this. >> temperature 72 degrees. vo: say hello to the new edge with myford touch.™ quite possibly the world's smartest crossover. [ male announcer ] at ge capital, we're out there every day with clients like jetblue -- financing their fleet, sharing our expertise, and working with people who are changing the face of business in america. after 25 years in the aviation business, i kind of feel like if you're not having fun at what you do, then you've got the wrong job. my landing was better than yours. no, it wasn't. yes, it was. was not. yes, it was. what do you think? take one of the big ones out? nah. from the time they entered the white house, president and mrs. obama have tried to keep their daughters' lives private

and as normal as possible, but many have noticed the parents are talking about the girls more often and in a bit more detail. we see them more. it is a portrait of life for sasha and malia that, in many ways, is unlike other kids their age in this electronic era and something their parents think will make them better kids. our report from nbc's norah o'donnell. >> reporter: president obama says his oldest daughter is growing up too fast. >> i don't have teenagers yet. malia has just turned 12. [ laughter ] >> good luck! >> good luck, huh? she's my baby. [ cheers ] >> even though she's 5'9" now she's still my baby. >> reporter: but malia is no baby. she's now almost as tall as her very tall parents. >> she just got braces which is good because, you know, she looks like a kid.

you know, she was getting -- she was starting to look too old for me. [ laughter ] >> reporter: america's first daughters, 12-year-old malia and 9-year-old sasha, are in the public eye. but what we are learning is that the president and first lady are trying mightily to make sure their daughters live a low key and disciplined life. they are up early at 6:00 a.m. >> they have to get up, set their alarms, get their own breakfast, make up their beds, put on their clothes and get to school on time. >> reporter: their schedules are jam-packed. >> they do piano. they do practice for their sports. sasha does dance -- hip-hop. malia does flute. >> reporter: no tv during the week either. >> television and the computers are off all day until after dinner and right before bedtime. bedtime's early. >> reporter: the obama girls are not on facebook or myspace and

mrs. obama says they don't text because they don't have cell phones. >> for a first family to bring some structure and discipline into the life of their children is fairly unusual in recent modern times. >> reporter: still, despite being sheltered to some degree, they are not shut out from the news. >> when i woke up this morning and i'm shaving and malia knocks on my bathroom door and she peeks in her head and she says, "did you plug the hole yet, daddy?" >> reporter: proving that this modern american first family is pretty traditional behind closed doors. norah o'donnell, nbc news, the white house. when we come back, they say some men have a problem asking for directions. now they say it's costing some serious money. my grandkids, i'. i'm friend, secret-keeper and playmate. do you think i'd let osteoporosis slow me down? so i asked my doctor about reclast because i heard it's the only once-a-year iv osteoporosis treatment.

he told me all about it and i said that's the one for nana. he said reclast can help restrengthen my bones to help make them resistant to fracture for twelve months. and reclast is approved to help protect from fracture in many places: hip, spine, even other bones. [ male announcer ] you should not take reclast if you're on zometa, have low blood calcium, kidney problems. or you're pregnant, plan to become pregnant or nursing. take calcium and vitamin d daily. tell your doctor if you develop severe muscle, bone or joint pain, of if you have dental problems, as rarely jaw problems have been reported. the most common side effects include flu like symptoms, fever, muscle or joint pain and headache. share the world with the ones you love! and ask your doctor about reclast. once-a-year reclast. year-long protection for on-the-go women. once-a-year reclast. no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross. bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen,

hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right. [ susan ] i hate that the reason we're always stopping is because i have to go to the bathroom. and when we're sitting in traffic, i worry i'll have an accident. be right back. so today i'm finally going to talk to my doctor about overactive bladder. [ female announcer ] if you're suffering, today is the day to talk to your doctor and ask about prescription toviaz. one toviaz pill a day significantly reduces sudden urges and accidents all day and all night. and toviaz comes with a simple, 12-week plan with tips on training your bladder. if you have certain stomach problems or glaucoma or cannot empty your bladder, you should not take toviaz.

toviaz can cause blurred vision and drowsiness, so use caution when driving or doing unsafe tasks. the most common side effects are dry mouth and constipation. [ susan ] today, i'm visiting my son without visiting every single bathroom. [ female announcer ] why wait? ask about toviaz today. physicist stephen hawking is best known for his complex theories about the universe but now has set the twitter universe on fire in a debate about god. hawking became the top trending topic after an excerpt of his new book presented his beliefs that a creator is unnecessary for the universe to exist. his theory is the creation of

the universe was an inevitable consequence of the laws of physics to which someone in our newsroom answered, okay, stephen hawking, explain this -- how do you make a pair of cute baby pandas? don't answer that. that's, of course, between two consenting pandas, but this is a cute pair of baby pandas making their debut at a japanese zoo. brother and sister, three weeks old. they have already quadrupled in weight to a healthy 1.5 pounds each. about that story we did recently about teenagers' addictions to cell phones. it was fairly accusatory. then today came this nugget. two-thirds of adults say the phone is either in or next to the bed at night, though the younger you are the more likely that is. 90% of americans between 18 and 29 curl up with their phones. could there be a deeper social issue to talk about here? another one of those studies says men who refuse to ask for directions actually extract a

huge cost to society and the environment as well as allegedly aggravating fellow passengers in the car. while i wasn't familiar with this dynamic myself, a british insurance company did a study and figured out that men who stubbornly drive around without knowing exactly where they are waste $3,000 a year in extra gas, but you will notice we always seem to get to our destination somehow. when "nightly news" returns this friday night, our "making a difference" report tonight. how you turn a dark day for this country into something good. mom? old legs. p.a.d., the doctor said. p-a-d... p.a.d. isn't just poor circulation in your legs causing you pain. it more than doubles your risk of a heart attack or stroke. i was going to tell you. if you have p.a.d., plavix can help protect you from a heart attack or stroke. plavix helps keep blood platelets from sticking together and forming clots, the cause of most heart attacks and strokes.

call the doctor about plavix -- please? i will. [ male announcer ] certain genetic factors and some medicines such as prilosec reduce the effect of plavix leaving you at greater risk for heart attack and stroke. your doctor may use genetic tests to determine treatment. don't stop taking plavix without talking to your doctor as your risk of heart attack or stroke may increase. people with stomach ulcers or conditions that cause bleeding should not use plavix. taking plavix alone or with some other medicines including aspirin may increase bleeding risk, so tell your doctor when planning surgery. tell your doctor all medicines you take including aspirin especially if you've had a stroke. if fever, unexplained weakness or confusion develops, tell your doctor promptly. these may be signs of ttp, a rare but potentially life-threatening condition, reported sometimes less than two weeks after starting plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. [ female announcer ] talk to your doctor about plavix. other rare but serious side effects may occur. no oil has flowed into the gulf for weeks, but it's just the beginning of our work. i'm iris cross.

bp has taken full responsibility for the clean up in the gulf and that includes keeping you informed. my job is to listen to the shrimpers and fishermen, hotel and restaurant workers and find ways to help. that means working with communities. we have 19 centers in 4 states. we've made over 120,000 claims payments, more than $375 million. we've committed $20 billion to an independent claims fund to cover lost income until people impacted can get back to work. we'll keep looking for oil, cleaning it up if we find it and restoring the gulf coast. i was born in new orleans. my family still lives here. bp is gonna be here until the oil is gone and the people and businesses are back to normal... until we make this right.

on this friday night before labor day, time now for our "making a difference" report. the ninth anniversary of 9/11 coming up a week from tomorrow. one symbol of that dark, awful day is proving to be a powerful way to improve some lives a bit. the story from nbc's roger o'neil. >> reporter: it's torn and tattered from a day of terror. >> now walk her down. >> reporter: but it survived

what cement and steel couldn't. >> it was the largest american flag that was hanging before, during and after the attacks of september 11th. >> reporter: found dangling from a construction site across the street from the world trade center, a 30-foot american flag, the national 9/11 flag, it's called. [ bagpipes ] ♪ >> reporter: now, one stitch at a time, firefighters and policemen, first responders and everyday citizens from every state are stitching this old star-spangled banner back together. this flag is being put back together with fabric from other american flags which have flown in all 50 states. when completed, it will become part of the permanent memorial at the site of the twin towers. >> i think it's everything we stand for. >> reporter: a rookie firefighter nine years ago, brian fitzpatrick's first call was to the trade center -- on 9/11. >> i guess it has to do with our freedom, a sense of duty, you know. >> reporter: the flag has been

seen by millions, but it's not just one flag anymore. rather, a patchwork of many. 11 more flags were sewn into the new york flag to cover tears and rips by ladies in greensburg, kansas. devastated by a tornado three years ago, volunteers from the new york says thank you foundation, a group dedicated to helping communities in need, went there to help rebuild. the spirit of helping turned the flag into a symbol of resolve. >> this flag represents the compassion and resilience of the american people. >> reporter: first responder michael neil put a stitch in this flag of hope. >> it was there during a terrible day and it survived, just like we can survive. >> reporter: stitches to repair, to heal. 50,000 stitches for old glory to be whole again when it returns to ground zero a year from now. roger o'neil, nbc news, little rock. and that's our broadcast for this friday night. thank you, as always, for being here with us. i'm brian williams and we all

hope you can join us here next week. good night. week. good night. have a good weekend. -- captions by vitac -- www.vitac.com